weather

Judging by the warmer temperatures, the sunshine, and the waves of tourists on the sidewalks, spring is well on its way through Harvard Square. Cambridge in the springtime is always wonderful, especially after a winter like the one we’ve had (Nemo, anyone???!!). The air seems lighter, smiles seem brighter, and walking from class to class is increasingly more pleasant. I actually wore flip-flops during a shopping trip earlier this week. I’ll let you know when it’s time to break out the Bermuda shorts.

I haven’t fully be able to enjoy the sunshine, however, because I’ve been working on my History & Literature (H&L) Junior Paper. Last Monday I, along with all of the other juniors studying H&L, was required to hand in a 6,000 word research essay on the topic of my choice. While the last few hours of writing, editing footnotes, and searching frantically for any misplaced commas were nerve racking, the experience as a whole was great! I decided to research the French-Algerian War, and I got to study works by authors like Fanon, Pontecorvo, Bouchareb, Aussaresses, etc. I learned a lot, and if you ever need to know anything about French or Algeria between 1954 and 1962, I’m your go-to girl.

The beautiful Barker Center is where most of my History & Literature classes, including my tutorial, are held.

This research paper was essentially a culmination of the H&L Junior tutorial. As a modern European H&L concentrator, one of my graduation requirements is the H&L junior tutorial. It is a two-hour meeting between me, my tutor, and two other students (or colleagues, as they are referred to in the department). It may sound daunting: two hours of talking between four people seems like a lot, but honestly, the times flies. The greatest thing about the H&L junior tutorial is that it is student led. We have a great tutor who is a member of the H&L Department and under her guidance we create our own syllabus, complete with secondary and primary source material of our own choosing. Pretty cool, right? Not only are we getting to study history through a literary lens, we’re also getting to choose the history that truly interests us and we’re crafting that lens ourselves.

One of the main purposes of the paper is to prepare us to begin writing our thesis, another requirement for graduation. But more on that next year…with this particular essay behind me, I plan on fully enjoying the rest of Junior Year!

I’ve had the honor of speaking with a handful of prospective/admitted students curious about life at Harvard College. I really enjoy speaking to these students because I was definitely in their position – where I was just dying to know what Harvard life was like – and their intriguing questions allow me to adequately reflect on my time as an undergraduate – an activity I wish I did more of! #runonsentence

There’s a few questions – some that I didn’t anticipate – that seem to come up frequently so I wanted to dedicate a blog to share and perhaps even plant new seeds of thought! #ambitious

But before acting on this endeavor of answering popular questions, I wanted to preface with a mini autobiography to make all the bias that I weave into my answers really obvious.

My name is Jeanie Nguyen. I’m currently a rising Harvard undergraduate junior, 20 years old and I spent the first 18 years of my life mostly in Southern California. So yes, I love Avocado (like it’s a real person, hence the capitalization/personification) and I can be quite snobby about my Mexican food (but Taco Bell is totally legitimate and if you don’t think so, you obviously haven’t had a chalupa). Essentially, I talk about being from Southern California like it’s something to brag about. I’m that premedical student who carries band-aids, burn ointment, and eye drops wherever I travel; and I’m concentrating in Neurobiology (major), secondarying in Global Health and Health Policy (minor), and pursuing a Spanish Language citation. I’m pretty adventurous/spontaneous: I love trying new things whether that’s food or activities!

In addition to warning everyone of my incredible bias, I also need to have a length disclaimer. My answers are really long, ramble for an eternity, and are probably only partially applicable at best. I throw out tons of information that I would have appreciated someone else telling me, but I’m really random and minor-detail oriented. If you don’t hate it, keep the questions coming! 🙂

Question 1: What would you say is the “best” dorm around?

At Harvard College, the freshman live in the center of campus – called The Yard – and these buildings are colloquially termed “dorms.” Most people know about Harvard Yard because it’s the heart of campus and where the oh so popular John Harvard statue is. The Yard is always beautifully manicured – even after such wildly muddy events like Yardfest and Harvard’s 375thBirthday Party – so living here your first year is such a marvelous privilege!!

Since the university follows a residential college way of housing, after your freshman year, you move out of the yard (reluctantly?) and into upperclassman houses – or “Houses” for short. You stay in the same House for your remaining time as a student although you move in and out of different rooms within the same House. Dorm locations are definitely ideal, but the love and community concomitant to House life is worth the 15 minute walk in the morning!!

I lived in Wigglesworth as a freshman. A lot of my non-Harvard friends were genuinely upset with me that I didn’t immediately tell them that I lived in a building called Wigglesworth. The name is actually somewhat fitting as it lies above the subway (colloquially called the T) so when the subway trains pass, you can feel the floors of Wigglesworth (Wigg) tremble – not annoying as it sounds! But then again, I lived on the third floor so I felt less of the impact. My really good friends were on the first floor though and I was never bothered by it. I also studied a lot on the second floor so I feel like my opinion takes a lot of perspectives into account!

There’s this period of time during the summer – I think it begins after the day you commit to your college of choice – where your future fellow college peers start friending you on Facebook. Although I normally hate adding people I don’t know, I felt really obligated to accept because I just wanted to be accepted!! Haha you really don’t have to accept – and you really shouldn’t accept unless you’re comfortable with casually exclaiming “Oh yeah! I know you because we’re friends on Facebook!” in a lot of conversations. This Facebook thing is applicable to the questions because I remember a great deal of people posting about how they were hoping to get Wigglesworth so when my housing letter came in the mail, I was excited about the result!

Wigg is known for its hard wood floors (so much better than nasty carpet that can stain easily!) and fireplaces (although you can’t use them). I’m pretty sure all rooms in Wigg have a common room in addition to bedrooms although students always have the option of making their common room into a bedroom to maximize the number of available singles. Wigg also has the luxury of in-suite bathrooms so no yucky, typical college bathroom woes. We also have our own laundry room and trash room in the basement so we don’t need to go far to take care of these chores (unlike student in Grays dorm for example). There’s also a bigger common room in the basement with study tables, comfy couches and a big flat screen TV with cable for those dedicated to Grey’s Anatomy and Gossip Girl.

My room was the only room on the third floor and was super spacious. I loved it! And so did my three roommates! Every time I walk pass my old room, I definitely look at it fondly. Between the four of us, we had one double bedroom and two singles. To be fair, we switched rooming situations half way through the year.

Our common room at its messiest while switching rooms!

Don’t judge us!

Also, I lived in the smallest subsection of Wigglesworth (there are three subsections), fondly termed the Wigglet and since only about ~30 students are lucky enough to live here each year, the community can get pretty close and just as cute as its name!

Wigglet (2010-2011) – Convocation Day in the Fall … 10 points to whoever can spot the baseball player in the popular Call Me, Maybe parody

Since Wigg lies on the perimeter of the Yard, along Massachusetts Avenue AKA Mass Ave, it can be a trek to Annenberg/the Science Center which basically is on the opposite side of the Yard. However, there are many perks to being along a main road such as being < 3 minutes away from CVS (convenience store), JP Licks (dangerously delicious ice cream shop), and the T stop!

I can’t even really think of any common ways people bashed Wigg. When you tell people you’re from Wigg you generally get an excited response (since Wigg is a really large dorm and it’s likely that you’ll run into other Wigglers) or at least a nod of respectful approval. “Go Wigg or Go Home!” is a common phrase that should be chanted not only proudly, but frequently.

At the airport before my freshman year began, en route to moving in – I couldn’t pack light if my life depended on it 🙁

If you know my middle name, you would never ask me this question. A lot of people would consider me a bad packer. I can’t say that I completely disagree, especially after my catastrophe at the end of my sophomore year. However, my reputation is sort of like a misnomer! I tend to never schedule sufficient time to pack adequately, but I do pack smart!

My friends are most impressed by how meticulously I pack. I weave dryer sheets in between my clothes when I pack them, especially if the clothes will be packed for a long time, so they always come out smelling like I just washed them! Additionally, Instead of putting things straight into a cardboard box/suitcase, I generally like to put it in a trash bag first. This trash bag method is awesome because it serves as another bad odor prevention mechanism. I also found this method helpful while traveling Europe this summer because I stayed in dorm-like hostels where I shared bedrooms with strangers so I would be uneasy about the security of my belongings; but since any potential thief would have to go through my trash bag first, it would probably wake me up too!

I make tons of paper copies of my name and phone number that I put not only on the exterior of the box, but the interior too. This is an idiot proof method when storing boxes in a common area which is the kind of storage Harvard provides (to students outside a certain radius). If anyone accidentally/not-so-accidentally takes your box, there’s really no way to justify them playing dumb since my information is everywhere!

When storing my boxes in a common area, I also like to tape newspaper to the outer sides of my boxes for easy identification. Some people like to use wild duck tape, but these types of tape are commonly sold in stores so multiple people may have the same tape. No one really tapes newspaper and since the surface area of newspapers is larger than duck tape, it’s also easier to spot in a room that’s literally filled from floor to ceiling with boxes! Newspaper is also free!! Woo!

I also enjoy performing activities in an economic fashion. This is really just a fancy way of saying that I’m cheap. However, I’ll never be cheap with packing tape. You need to buy the good stuff and use tons of it because it’s not worth it ever if a box rips and your belongings become separated/lost! Friends also become eternally grateful for your extra tape.

Being cheap also means that I hate buying boxes too! I would much rather put money towards my churro funds rather than cardboard. Definitely ask stores for their cardboard boxes since most recycle them anyway. I tend to rely on my parents’ company for boxes when I’m at home.

As for physically relocating things to campus, make sure to triple check your baggage allowances on your mode of transportation and don’t be shy about asking for student discounts. It never hurts to try. Domestically, I usually fly with Southwest airlines because they allow 2 free checked bags and a carry on which is the most “free” I’ve ever experienced. Fortunately, my parents flew out to help me move in so I called dibs on their check ins!

I literally imagined myself dying in the cold from my first East Coast winter and thought I had to buy tons of coats before leaving, but this is definitely not something you have to do. It’s hard to find appropriate coats in Southern California anyways. I’ve conformed and have become a big fan of the Northface brand though. You may not want to admit this to your parents, but you really don’t need a new wardrobe!

Embracing the cold before Freshman Formal #YOLO

I still wear my SoCal tanks and tees under a big coat in the winter. Your coat just needs to be good enough to withstand the wind + rain + snow for your <15 minute walk to class because your classrooms will be waiting for you all warm and toasty! Note that umbrellas don’t help!! Buy a wonderfully comfortable coat with a hood to strut in because it’s typically too windy for umbrellas and you wouldn’t want to hold an umbrella anyways! All you want to do in the winter outside is to bury your hands in your pockets.

Rainboots are a separate case from coats though. It rained within the first three or four days of my arrival on campus and I’ve never regretted investing in some rainboots as a preemptive strike. Every time I walk in/through a puddle in rainboots, I’m still incredulous that my socks aren’t soaked!!

If you were spoiled with amazing weather all the time like me, don’t let the threat of East Coast winters scare you!! I love experiencing four seasons. In fact, it’s best to experience leafy autumns and snowy winters in college where you don’t have to rake or shovel anything yourself!!!

Definitely not raking anything…

Question 3: What are some of the must-sees/must-dos at Harvard?

This is one of the more difficult questions to answer because interests vary so widely. But I hate it when people use that as an answer to a question. I’m already incredibly biased and don’t want to be hypocritical too!

When I think back through my time as a Harvard College student, there are definitely some defining moments. I LOVED embracing the East Coast culture and being a coxswain for the Men’s Heavyweight Crew team! Definitely one of the best, once in a lifetime experiences!!

I’ve said it before and I won’t ever stop saying that one of my ultimate, favorite aspects of Harvard is the people! I’m obsessed with sitting around and doing absolutely nothing but getting to know my peers. Everyone is so freaking interesting and hilarious! We’ve also collectively racked up enough good stories for a lifetime. It’s come to that point where I’d say our lives are more interesting than TV – interesting, not dramatic!

Most of my greatest memories are on campus/campus events – like meeting celebrities!!! You’ll be on tons of email listservs as a student where the spam can be annoying but a lot of the pubbed events are super interesting/exciting opportunities!!

I believe in Harvey Dent!

Representing the Wigglet around Shaq!!! Casual run in…

I do really want to start taking even more advantage of my environment by completing everything on Natalie’s list though!

Question 4: Is there any advice you would offer your freshman self (or a lost freshman), knowing everything you know now?

Two prominent mistakes (one personal and one academic) come to mind when I think of my personal freshman year – although we all know there were several committed.

Most of my friends are surprised that I identify myself as an antisocial person. The beginning of freshman year is just super overwhelming because not only have you left all your family and friends, but you’re now in a whole new environment with thousands of strangers! Albeit the strangers are friendly, I had a hard time continuously meeting tons of people during the beginning days of freshman year because I always doubted whether we’d become actual friends or not. This negative mindset pushed me to rely on my high school friends. I Skyped (video chatted via internet) my high school friends a lot freshman year due to the fear that our friendship would become estranged. I definitely don’t regret staying in touch with my high school friends because the ones I Skyped all the time are the ones that give me a strong reason to come home; but, I do feel like the fear of losing my high school friends shouldn’t have been stimulating anxiety. It’s definitely a natural fear to have, but after becoming super busy sophomore year, we’ve kept in touch less throughout this past year. However, I still feel just as comfortable around my high school friends to this day as I did 2 years ago. In fact, thinking about them right now makes me feel simultaneously really lucky for having their continuous support and really stupid for ever fearing that our great friendships would diminish. Therefore, if I could reassure little, lost freshman Jeanie, I’d demand her to not worry so much about her loving connection with her friends and family back home.

After the emotional stabilization, I would definitely tell myself to not try to plan my life. College comes with waves of intense sensations of fear that you’ll fail at everything which will propel you to try to plan your life. This endeavor isn’t possible – at least not your freshman year; it becomes more of a likely possibility your sophomore year and that’s why you declare your concentration (major) your sophomore fall semester rather than during your freshman year which is what most other universities have students do. During your freshman year, it’s best to talk to upperclassmen, your assigned academic adviser, your PAF: Peer Advising Fellow community, faculty and etc. to learn all the classes that are truly geared towards your interests. You’ll learn so much your first year about the differences between class series and the importance of sections, so that the life plan you made freshman year will render itself useless in a matter of a few conversations! It’s best to wait until your sophomore year to start planning how all of your courses will fit in the short time you have as an undergraduate.

I am fully aware that I’m advising you to take your hands off the wheel during your entire first year and that this request is a horrifying one! But enjoy your time as a wide eyed freshman and feel free to be a little lost! Just don’t be so lost that you can’t give a tourist directions to Annenberg.

Holy smokes. My answers always turn out to be soooo much longer than anticipated!! I really hope that the information overflow isn’t overwhelming because that is definitely not its purpose!!!! You truly don’t need to know any of this information because I didn’t and I am (arguably) fine, I promise! AHHHH SORRY!

There are also tons of other resources for any burning questions you may or may not have! One of my favorite finds are Harvard Q&A groups on Facebook. We’re all guilty of wasting time on Facebook so you might as well satiate your curiosity that way! Most of the time it’s benevolent Harvard students answering questions – yay!

**Excuse any slang/improper English please! I’ve been speaking and thinking in Spanish so hard these days while living in Peru – and LOVING it!!!!!

***UPDATE (24 June 2012)

One thing to start thinking about is money on campus – meaning banks. I am no longer an advocate of the sock drawer so one thing I made sure to check for during prefrosh/Visitas weekend was nearby banks. I know of a handful of people who chose to keep their local, small town banks but I feel like the majority of students have local banks for convenience. Once you do your research and choose a bank, you can start thinking about credit cards. And just because you’re going to college doesn’t mean you can’t bring your parents in on this – they have much more experience than you! One additional thing to keep in mind is that many, many Harvard students travel abroad at some point during their undergraduate careers so if you like to plan super ahead, take into account international fees/cards/offers.

When the seasons start changing and Mother Nature can’t make up her mind. Case in point – early last week it was 80 degrees and sunny, then by mid-week it was in the 50s, then it went back up to the mid-70s, and now it’s back down to the 50s. Hellooooo Boston. The way I see it, though, there are two benefits to this kind of weather. 1) It never allows us to take the nice days for granted. When it’s 75 and sunny, everyone is outside lounging away on beach towels in the Quad or down by the River. 2) It gives my sunburns a chance to heal… rough.

When classes start to wrap up. Yes, that’s right, this coming Wednesday is our last day of class and then Harvard students around campus will enter Reading Period. Reading Period can mean one of two things. It can either mean a 10-day vacation if you’re something like a math or science concentrator, or it can mean a 10-day sleep strike if you’re a humanities concentrator and find yourself writing five papers. Luckily, my schedule this year has offered me spread out Reading and Finals Periods. I have a paper due this Tuesday, another paper due next week, and then two finals several days apart.

When stress and excitement levels run high. There occurs this strange dichotomy where while I’m feeling incredibly stressed about major papers and finals, I am also feeling incredibly excited about the summer!!! This summer I will be working for the Phillips Brooks House Association’s (PBHA’s) Summer Urban Program (or SUP). SUP is a series of camps in neighboring communities throughout Boston that helps to fight summer learning loss in low-income children. Just as PBHA is student-led, SUP is too, which means that Harvard students have been working their butts off all semester long getting ready for this summer. I’ll be working Full Time SUPport (get it?), which means I’ll be behind the scenes helping out all of the camps. Get ready for lots of blog posts in the coming months about SUP. One final plug to the incoming freshmen – JOIN PBHA and then WORK SUP!!!! I promise you it won’t be a decision you regret.

When I’m starting to dread the prospect of packing up all of my stuff. It took me long enough to unpack and make my beautiful single look just the way I want, and now I’m going to have to find some way of packing all of this stuff back up and sticking it in Currier storage. I really don’t want to write anymore about it, it’s all too painful to contemplate.

When I begin to desperately text friends to grab a final meal or coffee before everyone leaves campus! It’s that time of year when I’m looking back and remembering all those times I ran into “this person from class” or “that person from my freshman dorm” or “the person that OMG I love but I haven’t seen in AGES” and I’m realizing that I only actually grabbed my promised meals with maybe half of them. This means that I still have a lot of people to go, and not a lot of time left! Ahhhh!

When House formals go on the calendar! Each House has its own Spring Formal, which, depending on who you know in which Houses, can mean a lot of formals to go to. So much fun!

That’s about all I got, folks! I wish everyone a very happy end of April, and to all of the pre-frosh – COME TO HARVARD!

You know how people say that Wednesday is the hump day of the week? You know, that point in the middle of the week that is particularly excruciating? Well November has proven itself to be the proverbial hill month of the first academic semester of the year. The middle of the month (as in right about now) is especially rough.

Here’s a general breakdown of the progression of the school year up until this point:

August: Students generally don’t arrive on campus until the last week or so of the month. August is all play, and no work! Everyone is excited to be back on campus, and classes have yet to begin. It’s a blur of summer summaries, meals in Harvard Square, and exciting reunions with friends and roomies.

September: September isn’t quite as laid back as August, but the start of a new semester is always refreshing. I love checking out different courses during Shopping Period and getting to know my new professors and TFs (teaching fellows). Also, it’s a great time to make friends because a new class schedule means new classmates! Also, the weather in September, especially towards the end, is fantastic. The sun shines and a light breeze is usually there to cool you off just when you need it.

October: The first wave of midterms usually takes its toll on me at this point, but Columbus Day (no class!) and Halloween (costumes and fun!) help ensure that October is still an overall enjoyable month.

November: Now we reach the “hump”. Things start to get a little too real in November. The second wave of midterm exams and papers comes crashing down. Also, as a sophomore, I officially declare my concentration (major) next week. In and of itself, declaration is a really exhilarating occurrence. However, the paperwork that accompanies it is no fun…at all. At this point in the year New England living rears its ugly head. It is legitimately cold outside, and it starts getting dark by 5pm. More than anything, by the time you reach November you are so close to Reading Period (the week or so preceding exams when class does not meet) and exams that you just want to fast-forward to the end and go home for J-term (our month-long winter break). I might sound like a Negative Nancy, but that’s probably just the midterm stress coming through.

Full disclosure: there is a select list of November-related things that really help me power up and over the hill.

The Changing of the Leaves. Cambridge in the fall is enchanting. The leaves on the trees in The Old Yard and Tercentenary Theatre change from green to captivating hues of gold, brown, red, orange, and yellow. I like to think that being surrounded by all of the warm fall colors helps keep me warm, despite the cold. This has yet to be scientifically proven.

I'm no professional, but I snapped this on my phone on a walk home from the Yard.

Veteran’s Day.* It’s a national holiday, so no class! Enough said.

Harvard-Yale. Harvard-Yale is the sporting event of the season–Nay, the year. My excitement cannot be contained. The game is next Saturday at Yale, and the wait is going to be the death of me. It is a REALLY big deal. Students and Alums alike make the trek to the game. I can’t wait to take a bus down to New Haven with all of my friends, tailgate with great food and great people, and watch Harvard domination extend to the field.

Thanksgiving Break. Thanksgiving is the first time that I get to go home during the school year! To be fair, I could probably sneak home for the weekend before this point but it never seems worth the hassle. Also, it will be the first time that all of my family members will be in the same place since the summer, and I cannot wait for the family bonding to commence. Most importantly, the Thanksgiving feast at my house would leave any glutton delighted and satisfied.

Believe it or not, but this is just a portion of our Thanksgiving set up form last year.

Pumpkin Flavored Treats. Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks, pumpkin milkshakes from Boloco, and pumpkin pie and pumpkin cupcakes from Sweet! All of these delicious treats are available in celebration of the fall season, and the best part is that they are all conveniently located in Harvard Square. It’s like I’ve died and gone to heaven.

Pumpkin cupcakes!

The End of Daylight Savings Time. Falling back to gain one hour of sleep? YES PLEASE!

Fret not. The mid-November hump will pass. Right now, Harvard-Yard is the light at the end of the tunnel that I am focusing on. I can’t wait to share it with you in a future post!

*Happy Veteran’s day to all of the men and women of the United States military! Your contributions are much appreciated (past and present alike).

This weekend I was lucky enough to go see friends perform in two great shows: “Execution,” put on by the Expressions Dance Company; and “Othello,” performed by Harvard’s Hyperion Shakespeare Company. Now is the time of year that student groups put on their fall semester exhibitions and performances, having had some time to practice for the past two months. I was excited to get a chance to support my friends and the groups they’re a part of!

First up on Saturday was the Expressions show: “Execution” is the title of their fall dance performance. Expressions is a student-run company that focuses on hip-hop, though they sometimes bring in tastes of other styles. Being someone who is TERRIBLE at dancing, I’m always so impressed by Expressions dancers – they all look so sassy (in the best way possible)! This performance was also great because it incorporated a piece by City Step, a group on campus that volunteers with middle schoolers in Cambridge and teaches them how to dance. Their oldest class, made up of 7th graders, got a chance to partake in the Expressions show and I know they kids were all ridiculously excited about it.

Photo Credit: Gordon Bae

Saturday night I went to see another friend as Iago in a rendition of Shakespeare’s “Othello” done by the Harvard Hyperion Shakespeare Company. Personally, I was completely unfamiliar with the storyline until seeing the play this weekend, and it was kind of nice to be able to watch without comparing their performance to any established opinions or biases. The blurbs advertising “Othello” described it as highly stylized, and it definitely was – all of the characters, aside from Othello himself, were wearing white to symbolize the racial divide defining the character relations. Their rendition was mind-blowing! It’s so exciting to see successful student performances on campus.

Othello Poster

I was particularly glad to have an excuse to stay inside on Saturday night because Boston experienced a surprise October snowstorm! While it’s not terribly unusual to get snow this time of year, it definitely caught everyone off guard. I, for one, don’t have any of my winter jackets on campus and spent the weekend exercising some serious layering strategy. Below is a picture of the lone snowman I found in Harvard Yard the next day – as is very characteristic of New England weather, we went from having near blizzard conditions on Saturday night to a sunny 50 degree day on Sunday. Sometimes I can’t keep up!

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